A health care initiative led by Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and the UAW has gained national attention for its efforts to improve the efficiency and safety of delivering prescriptions.

E-prescribing, a process that has modernized the way doctors submit prescriptions to local pharmacies by using computers and the Internet, is gaining kudos for significantly reducing prescription writing errors and potentially harmful drug interactions. Democratic Sen. John Kerry and former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich don’t agree on much, but they both agree that this initiative is an idea whose time has come.

“Ninety-five percent of prescriptions are transmitted using 5,000-year-old technology: pen and paper. That is unacceptable,” they said in an opinion piece published by the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 16. “The deaths and inefficiencies of paper prescriptions can be nearly entirely eliminated by using the same technology we use in other aspects of our lives.”

Charles Azu, Planning and Development Manager—Prescription Drugs, said that is exactly what Chrysler, GM and Ford were looking for when they helped form the Southeast Michigan ePrescribing Initiative in February 2005. Although Chrysler, GM and Ford are competitors in the marketplace, they are on the same side when it comes to seeking ways to improve health care delivery, Azu said.

“E-prescribing benefits the patients, physicians and pharmacies by streamlining the whole system,” Azu said. “We are able to improve patient satisfaction and reduce waste while controlling our overall health care costs. As major employers in southeast Michigan, we decided to work together to bring this new technology to benefit our employees and retirees. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”

More than 6 million prescriptions have been issued using e-prescribing technology since its launch. While writing a prescription, the computer can warn doctors of potentially dangerous interactions with other drugs,
patient allergies and even whether a lower-cost alternative is available.

“The most important benefit of e-prescribing is patient safety, and therein lies its beauty,” Kate Kohn-Parrott, Director—Integrated Health Care and Disability, said. “With e-prescribing, the doctor is able to ensure that each patient receives the right drug at the right dose. It is all part of our effort to build a healthier work force.”

Today, there are 2,800 physicians writing more than 280,000 e-prescriptions each month. More than 1 million moderate to severe alerts have been issued so far, improving safety, reducing errors and saving lives.

“The benefits of e-prescribing are so important that the Institute of Medicine (of the National Academies of Sciences) has called for every doctor and nurse to electronically prescribe medications by the year 2010,” Kerry and Gingrich went on to say. “Business leaders, health insurers and consumer advocates are unanimous in their support of this commonsense initiative.”

Based on the program’s success, the coalition will continue enrolling new physicians through March 2008. More than $500,000 have been invested in the technology by coalition partners that also include the Henry Ford Medical Group, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and CVS Caremark.